Warnings are not safewords
Disclaimer: My only knowledge of kink is from RPing/writing it. If I get anything wrong let me know - I won't be angry about it. I don't think I've made any egregious errors, but one never knows.
I read an interesting post linked from metafandom that I don't entirely agree with about warnings on fic being safe, sane and consensual (link: http://carodee.livejournal.com/132055.html?format=light). I'm not your (generic reader coming along to read my fic/rp logs in public games) dom/top and I don't want to be. Chances are I don't even know you to know if I would want to be your dom/top (and even if I know you, much as I write them, I don't think I have very dommish tendencies). However, much as I don't entirely agree with the post, it was interesting and food for thought, unlike many discussions of warnings which tend to do my head in more than anything else. For the record? I'm not a great fan of warnings in general - I personally don't care if a character dies in one fic, he's alive in canon and in 99.99% of fics anyway, what does it matter if one writer kills him off? And I will never warn for canonical death - that is completely pointless and rather stupid in my opinion. And yes, I live on the Nile as much as anyone for certain characters. I can understand some other warnings slightly more, but frankly? I don't like them and never will. I do put them in where I think it's appropriate, though my other problem is how do I know if I've warned enough? Also, why spoil the surprise of the fic? I've always wanted to write a story in which a character is presumed dead, his partner/lover moves on, and they come back (and because it's me, there would eventually be an OT3). How would I effectively warn for that if the whole point of the story was that they were supposed to appear to be gone but I didn't want to spoil the fact that they weren't?
Anyway, in the comments of the post above, something was said that made me unutterably furious. Apparently someone who did the "highlight to read" type of warning (my own personal favourite way of dealing with all issues above - at least I know that any spoiling for the story is the reader's choice, though I usually just put warnings on my stories when needed) was asked what the point of hiding a death warning was. I was literally sitting here in front of the computer staring in disbelief. Is there no way to please people? I realise this was likely only one person but I'm just... I'm gobsmacked. Seriously. There's no way to deal with this, is there? There will always be someone quibbling about warnings. I mean the warnings debate comes up like clockwork, yes, but that's just completely beyond words ridiculous.
Some days I wonder how people who say things like that manage to go outside. It may be mean of me but I really, really do.
RACK - Risk Aware Consensual Kink - a slightly less safe way of kinky playing. I don't know very much about it but well, if you're going to throw around Safe, Sane and Consensual, it might be good to know that's not the only kink buzz phrase.
I read an interesting post linked from metafandom that I don't entirely agree with about warnings on fic being safe, sane and consensual (link: http://carodee.livejournal.com/132055.html?format=light). I'm not your (generic reader coming along to read my fic/rp logs in public games) dom/top and I don't want to be. Chances are I don't even know you to know if I would want to be your dom/top (and even if I know you, much as I write them, I don't think I have very dommish tendencies). However, much as I don't entirely agree with the post, it was interesting and food for thought, unlike many discussions of warnings which tend to do my head in more than anything else. For the record? I'm not a great fan of warnings in general - I personally don't care if a character dies in one fic, he's alive in canon and in 99.99% of fics anyway, what does it matter if one writer kills him off? And I will never warn for canonical death - that is completely pointless and rather stupid in my opinion. And yes, I live on the Nile as much as anyone for certain characters. I can understand some other warnings slightly more, but frankly? I don't like them and never will. I do put them in where I think it's appropriate, though my other problem is how do I know if I've warned enough? Also, why spoil the surprise of the fic? I've always wanted to write a story in which a character is presumed dead, his partner/lover moves on, and they come back (and because it's me, there would eventually be an OT3). How would I effectively warn for that if the whole point of the story was that they were supposed to appear to be gone but I didn't want to spoil the fact that they weren't?
Anyway, in the comments of the post above, something was said that made me unutterably furious. Apparently someone who did the "highlight to read" type of warning (my own personal favourite way of dealing with all issues above - at least I know that any spoiling for the story is the reader's choice, though I usually just put warnings on my stories when needed) was asked what the point of hiding a death warning was. I was literally sitting here in front of the computer staring in disbelief. Is there no way to please people? I realise this was likely only one person but I'm just... I'm gobsmacked. Seriously. There's no way to deal with this, is there? There will always be someone quibbling about warnings. I mean the warnings debate comes up like clockwork, yes, but that's just completely beyond words ridiculous.
Some days I wonder how people who say things like that manage to go outside. It may be mean of me but I really, really do.
RACK - Risk Aware Consensual Kink - a slightly less safe way of kinky playing. I don't know very much about it but well, if you're going to throw around Safe, Sane and Consensual, it might be good to know that's not the only kink buzz phrase.